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The body keeps the score of emotional trauma, physcal trauma, and mental trauma where it festers into body toxicity. Which makes us sick.
Trauma Keeps a Record in Our Bodies
I’d never heard of selective mutism until I read Torey Hayden’s book, One Child: The True Story of a Tormented Six-Year-Old and the Brilliant Teacher Who Reached Out. But for decades I figured Hayden’s experience was an isolated event. After all, no one ever talked about child abuse, incest, or trauma in children. But just because society doesn’t talk about something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Sadly, childhood abuse and trauma have gone on for centuries, and when we don’t experience healing from our trauma, we can pass the effects of it on to our children.
I work at a school where a majority of students have experienced high levels of trauma, and their behavior, test scores, and academic failures reflected their reality. Once I started to understand the reality of our students’ ‘Swiss-cheese education’ (my term for kids who have great gaps in their education, which prevents them from succeeding in school), I knew we had to do something different to help them. Hiring more special education teachers wouldn’t solve the problem. The principal agreed. Now our school has two full-time licensed clinical counselors on staff.
Our students have started to close the academic gap with their peers across the nation. It takes a trauma-informed staff to work as a community to help our students thrive and heal.
I recently read Bessel van der Kolk’s book, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, and my study of his book inspired today’s podcast. What do you find the most surprising about childhood trauma?
Show Notes
You can the Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) quiz here.
Additional factors in childhood trauma can be found here.
Come Back Next Week
Join me next week when I talk about a seemingly unrelated topic…anger. But is it really?
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Studying Romans 8 right now where Paul talks about the “redemption of our bodies.” This is so encouraging.
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I find it fascinating that science is catching up with the Bible (Proverbs 17:22).
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The body sure does keep score of emotional trauma. Illness induces anxiety and depression as well. I’ve found that in order to move forward I sometimes need to look back. I just don’t stay stuck anymore because the more I draw closer to Christ each day, he truly has overtaken me. Blessings.
#2
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Exactly! We CAN find healing–and more often than we think, physical healing may require emotional healing, first.
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Thank you Anita for highlighting such an important issue.
Bless you,
Jennifer
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And thank you for your kind words!
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The mind and body are such mysterious things! Often times how something manifests doesn’t seem logical at all. So fascinating to learn about.
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Who would have though COPD is related to PTSD?
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Though there still needs to be more awareness, I am thankful that these things are being brought to the forefront and studied and used in helping children overcome trauma.
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Amen! The more the emotional health of the population increases, the closer we’ll get to productivity and peace.
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Your school sounds amazing! I’m so glad you are proactive in their care and in their education. Thank you for the book recommendations!
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Our school is filled with the most amazing kids!
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I am constantly amazed at how EVERYTHING in our lives is connected. Learning new things about Our Creator makes me speechless sometimes.
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We are fearfully and wonderfully made, indeed!
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This is all so true, my friend. I am so glad that you are addressing these issues and have helped to get appropriate trauma trained counselors where they are needed most. I am going to check out some of these titles you shared. It is a topic close to my heart, as are all things mental health related!
Shelbee
I hope you enjoy them!
Anita Ojeda recently posted…Five Ways Owls Are Created for Survival in a Dark World
Such good stuff. I need to grab hold of that book again – last time I just skimmed it.
I listened to a lot of it, and read (or re-read) a lot so I could underline, make notes, and highlight :)!
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I am a child abuse awareness advocate and speak about ACEs frequently. There is a great book and study called “Help for Billy” that has a lot of helpful tips for the classroom. Most are for elementary students but can be adapted for older students, as well.
Blessings,
Tammy
What a wonderful work you do, Tammy! I’ll have to look for that book and report. We have students from 6-18 here at our school.
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I have this book but haven’t got round to reading it. This post makes me want to even more! As a child I experienced physical symptoms that came from trauma so I’m really interested to learn more about it. And I love Torey Hayden’s books!
It’s fascinating! It’s kind of dry reading at times, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to listen to it our read it. I ended up doing both (because I like to highlight and mark up a meaty book ; ).
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Anita, it’s heartbreaking to think that children can inherit the effects of trauma from their parents, but I’m guessing many (most?) of us have, to one extent or another. “The Body Keeps the Score” is an eye-opening book, for sure. Another good one that I’m reading now is Michelle Van Loon’s new book called “Translating Your Past:
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